Lithuanian state to continue subsidies for political parties

VILNIUS (BNS) - Lithuania's High Elections Commission is to approach the Finance Ministry asking it to continue subsidies to the country's most influential political parties, which began this year.

Based on the law on financing political parties and organizations adopted last year, subsidies are to be paid out of the national budget to political parties which received more than 3 percent of votes in 1996 elections to Parliament and 1997 and 2000 elections to the municipalities.

The ruling Conservative party will get the most funding, almost 167,000 litas ($41,750) in the first half. The party took around 1.317 million votes in earlier ballots.

Former partner of the ruling party the Christian Democratic Party will come away with around 64,500 litas for the 509,000 votes it took earlier.

The opposition Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party will receive almost 63,000 litas for 495,000 votes. The Center Union will get around 50,000 litas for 392,000 votes, the Lithuanian Social Democratic party approximately 42,000 litas for 334,000 votes and the Lithuanian Liberal Union 32,000 litas for its 255,000 votes. Debutante and conqueror at this year's municipal elections, the New Union will get 28,000 litas for 221,000 votes, the successfully performing Lithuanian Peasants' Party will get paid 22,000 litas for the 172,000 votes it tallied, and Lithuania's Polish Election Action will take 21,000 litas from the state budget for its 169,000 votes.

The sum of government support to political parties and organizations is calculated at 980,000 litas for 2000. Parties were given half that amount this spring, before municipal elections.